rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: rodere
Latin

rodere

gnaw or eat away

Forms

  • rodere
  • ros- — The changed form used for completed action.

Origin

An inherited Latin gnawing verb with older Indo-European relatives.

Note

Slow biting provides an image for gradual wearing away.

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Erosion: rainwater channels cutting grooves through a sloping bare soil bank, sediment washing into stream at bottom, exposed tree roots show soil worn away.
noun

erosion

ih-ROH-zhun/ɪˈrəʊʒn/

Gradual wearing away of material.

Etymology
eLatinout, away; also thoroughly
+rosLatingnaw or eat away
+ionLatinan action, process, or result

Erosion names the process of “gnawing away.” That image connects eating away with gradual wearing away: material is consumed or removed rather than lost all at once.

Full entry

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